I recently joined an organization called JAWS, which stands for Journalism & Women Symposium. The declaration on their website states: "JAWS supports the professional empowerment and personal growth of women in journalism and works toward a more accurate portrayal of the whole society."
The first local get-together I attended was great. (I call it a get-together because that's precisely what it was, rather than a formal meeting) I found mostly writers--in fact I think I was the only photographer. That's okay, though, because I consider myself a writer as well as photographer. It was wonderful to gather with a group of women in my field and compare notes. Even though the number of female reporters, editors and photographers is growing steadily, we are still not well represented in management. We still face the unique issues that men don't seem to worry about as much, such as juggling childcare with the crazy hours of a journalist, and being taken as seriously as our male counterparts by our bosses and the public. It is refreshing to have a group to talk to frankly about those issues and have them actually UNDERSTAND what I'm talking about.
I am on their mailing list and the latest topic was a call for quotes by female journalists. Here are a couple of my favorites:
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me.”
--Erma Bombeck
"Networking is a primary way women discover that we are not crazy, the system is."
-– Gloria Steinem
"Women are in a double bind. If we talk like women we are not respected. If we talk like men, we are not liked."
-– Deborah Tannen
"Information is power and without it we can ‘t make the changes that we need in order to balance our work and family lives."
-– Judy Mann
“In journalism, there has always been a tension between getting it first and getting it right”
--Ellen Goodman
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